


Pepperony: Drabble Prompts

by AlexaNDYE



Category: Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: Drabble Collection, F/M, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-09
Updated: 2015-04-17
Packaged: 2018-03-22 02:03:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3710785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexaNDYE/pseuds/AlexaNDYE
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of written pieces of Pepperony fanfiction based off of prompts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prompt 1

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt is from sexydowney.tumblr.com!
> 
> Drabble prompt: Tony and Pepper stuck somewhere (elevator?) just after a fight.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A series of written pieces of Pepperony fanfiction based off of prompts.

“I didn’t ask you to go, Tony.” Pepper said sternly as she walked towards their private elevator. Tony followed closely behind after the meeting ended.

“I thought this is what you’ve wanted me to do – to go to the meetings and actually provide input.” He didn’t understand why she was mad at him.

Pepper hit the button to their penthouse with the side of her fist, which was a clear indicator that she was not pleased. Tony made sure to stay on the other side of the elevator. “Not when I’ve been preparing for this contract for two months.”

“How the hell am I supposed to know when I shouldn’t and should go? Do you want me to do what I’ve been doing for years and not go at all!?” They were both getting frustrated.

“The one time you want to actually help _your_ company…” Pepper muttered.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I’m busting my ass out there—“

“—Saving the world?” She interjected. “I’ve heard it before, Tony.”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “…And apparently you don’t think anything of it.” He nodded, trying to keep his cool. “That’s great, Honey.” She could tell he was being sarcastic. “I can’t believe you’re being this selfish over a stupid meeting.”

She narrowed her eyes and glared at him. “This meeting was the most important one of the entire year, Tony.”

“Apparently I didn’t get the memo, so sue me.” He waved her off.

Her fists balled, her teeth clenched, and she was on the brink of going off at him. “I can’t believe—!” She stopped, not because she forced herself to calm down, but because the elevator stopped to a screeching halt. Her legs wobbled, but she groped for the nearest wall to balance herself out.

Tony looked up at the ceiling and then at the floor buttons on the panel. He repeatedly pressed the button to their penthouse, but the elevator refused to move. It didn’t even budge.

“Hm…” He hummed to himself.

“And now we’re stuck in the elevator.” Pepper nodded. “Great. Just great.” Tony was getting annoyed by her; it happens, it’s nothing new, but he wasn’t exactly thrilled they were stuck in a confined space together, and still annoyed and angry with each other.

Tony bit back his tongue and shrugged off his black blazer. He rolled up his sleeves and kneeled in front of the elevator panel. He searched for an opening but only found screws.

“Damn it… I can’t open this without tools.” He glanced at her.

“What? You think I have a screwdriver in my purse?” There was a little attitude in her tone.

“No, I was expecting you to have one under your shoe.” He rolled his eyes at her. He groaned and sat down in the corner. He flipped through his phone, hoping to get connected with JARVIS to see what the problem was, but there was no connection. “Damn it.” He cursed. “I think we’re stuck here.”

“No shit, Sherlock.” Pepper slipped down the wall to seat herself on the carpeted floor of the elevator.

Tony ruffled his hair with his hand and sighed. The day wasn’t going well for him; he didn’t think it wouldn’t start with an argument with Pepper. He thought she’d be happy to see him finally attend a meeting, especially one he found circled multiple times on her calendar. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he should’ve asked her why she circled it so much.

He knew she had a tendency to circle important dates, events, and dates, but he didn’t think to ask her about it. He hated fighting with her; he hated it when their fights would draw out and they wouldn’t speak to each other for hours on end.

There was one time when they got into a fight right before she left for a business trip, and he regretted it; he said some things he shouldn’t have and she, in retaliation, said some things as well. He missed her on the days of her absence, but he knew they were still in a fight; he wanted to apologize, and he tried calling her, but she didn’t answer. It was she that apologized later that night when she called him back. He hated feeling like any one of their fights could potentially end their relationship.

He groaned louder.

“Look, I’m sorry, okay?” He spoke first. “I’m sorry I came to the meeting and screwed it up.” He shrugged. “I don’t know, Pepper. I thought…” He paused. “…I thought coming to this meeting would make you happy. I know you’ve been working hard lately, so I…”

“You wanted to help out a little…?” Her lips formed a small smile at the realization.

“A little…” He frowned.

“I should apologize, too.” She tilted her head to the side. “I got stressed over this meeting and I took all my frustration out on you. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.” He accepted her apology with a grin. “And I’m sorry I said the things I did.”

He got up from his spot and moved closer to her. He slipped down next to her. As if on cue, he put his arm around her while she leaned her head towards his chest. He kissed the top of her head and leaned against her. Their hands were joined on his lap as her fingers were played with his. She loved these sweet moments; it was so raw and comforting. She remembered when she was limited to the number of places or things she could retreat to in search for comfort or reassurance, but now, she had Tony, and his presence alone made her feel better.

There were times when he’d try to make her feel better; his corny jokes, cute small pecks on the lips, and wandering hands usually did the trick.

“Tony,” She broke the moment of silence.

“Hm?” He watched her fingers graze his knuckles.

“How are we getting out of this elevator?” There was a hint of worry in her voice.

“I have no idea.” He said calmly. He turned his head to face her. “Want to have sex?” She rolled her eyes at him and tried not to smile at his antics. “What? We’ve done it in this elevator before—actually, I think that was last week.”

“It was, and no, I’d rather focus on getting out of here.”

He frowned. “Spoil sport…”


	2. Prompt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A series of written pieces of Pepperony fanfiction based off of prompts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This prompt is from sexydowney.tumblr.com!
> 
> Drabble prompt: Tony can feel that Pepper is hiding something but he doesn't know what

“Hey, where are you going?” Tony asked with a low, sexy growl. He pulled Pepper in by her arm and heard her giggle. She tried to tease him and pull way, but he was too strong. He pulled her flush against his chest and kissed her hard. Pepper grinned happily against his lips and tried to push off of him, but his mouth moved to her neck, and the light feather kisses against her soft, delicate skin tickled her, making her laugh harder.

“Tony, I have to go to work.” She tried to tell him as his lips moved down her neck and to her collarbone. She sighed, and felt his hands roam, rest on her waist and gently massage the spots. “You’re not making it easy, Honey.”

“So don’t go.” He mumbled against her creamy skin.

“Easier said than done.” She muttered in reply. She wrapped her arms around him and held him at the spot. She loved it when they had these little good-byes right before one of them had to leave; it was refreshing and adoring, and it kept their relationship alive. The ‘please don’t go’s almost made her want to stay and work from home… _almost_.

Pepper left a few minutes later after a few more kisses and endearing words were exchanged. Tony frowned as he watched her leave; even though he had work to do with the Avengers or with his suits, he still missed her. There was something about her that reassured him, grounded him, and overall made him happier. He sighed, smiled, and scratched the back of his head. _I’m so whipped._

A couple weeks later and everything changed. Tony couldn’t pin point the exact moment it happened, but he knew something wasn’t right. Pepper was distancing herself from him; she would leave early in the morning, give him a small kiss good-bye, come home, and go to bed. There was no meaningful interaction; the kiss good-bye turned into effortless ones, as if they were just part of the routine.

Tony finally spoke up when she postponed two of their date nights in a row.

“Hey,” Tony spoke softly as he trailed behind her. “You’re not going to kiss me good-bye?”

“I have to go to work, Tony.” Her voice was emotionless; she sounded like she had given up.

“So? That’s never stopped you before.” He tried to smile, but the absence of her bright, beautiful, and radiant smile made his quickly disappear. “What’s wrong, Pepper?”

“Nothing is wrong.” She muttered.

“Pepper, I know something is wrong.” He tried to tell her as she began to walk off. “Why won’t you tell me?”

She didn’t answer.

“At least give me a kiss.” There was sadness in his tone. Everything was so different know; it was as if their world flipped upside down within the last week. She didn’t answer again. “Hey,” He grabbed her by the arm and turned her around. She bumped into his chest and pressed her lips against his.

Her kiss was different—he didn’t even know if he should classify it as a kiss. It wasn’t her. Nothing about it said ‘Pepper’. Something was wrong.

When they pulled apart, Pepper didn’t look him in the eye. She mumbled a halfhearted ‘good-bye’ and rode the elevator down to the office. She left him baffled and confused; he went through a list in his head, making sure he didn’t do anything recently that would’ve pissed her off or made her sound so depressed.

He consulted JARVIS that afternoon, asking how Pepper was doing, asking if he knows anything, and just as he expected, JARVIS apologized and remained silent about the matter.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Stark, but I cannot disclose such information as per requested by Miss Potts.” He said in his lovely English voice.

Pepper’s unhappiness bothered him. A million things ran through his mind when he tried to think of what made her… different? No. She wasn’t different. There was a problem and she was dealing with it without him, and that fact alone made him angry.

“She shouldn’t have to deal with things by herself,” Tony muttered out loud.

When she came home from work, he confronted her. He couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“What’s wrong?” He asked her right as she exited the elevator. He previously told JARVIS to let him know when Pepper was coming up the elevator.

“Nothing is wrong, Tony,” She said in that same plain emotionless tone of hers.

“No, Pepper. _Something_ is wrong,” He stepped in front of her so she couldn’t avoid him. “I know something is wrong, but the question is, why won’t you tell me?”

She didn’t speak; she looked lost as she stared into the distance, as if she were lost in her own thoughts.

“Pepper,” He held her by the shoulders. He tried to make her look at him, and she did, but what he saw wasn’t Pepper. She was keeping something from him. “What’s wrong? Is it so bad that you can’t tell me?”

She, again, didn’t answer.

“Honey…” He spoke softly and with a hint of sadness. “It’s me. It’s only me. I love you. You know I do. We’ve known each other for over a decade and have been together for a couple years. What happened to your spiel about how communication is the most important thing in a relationship?”

Her sorrow and depression could be seen from a mile away at that point, and just when he wanted to go on about trust and support in a relationship (reciting her words, of course), her incoherent mumble stopped him.

“What?” He blinked.

“I have cancer.”

His world stopped. Time stopped. His mouth gapped open as the realization hit him.

“C…Cancer?” He couldn’t believe it. He refused to believe it.

Tears began to form at the corner of her eyes. “Yeah…”

He was shocked and devastated. His girlfriend, his best friend, and the one thing he couldn’t live without had cancer. Tears ran down her cheeks and she tried to wipe them away, but more poured out. He pulled her against his chest as she broke down in front of him.

He wondered how long she knew, how long she was keeping it a secret, and why she didn’t tell him sooner. How many times has she cried? When did she know? If he hadn’t pried it out of her, how long would it have been before she told him? Would she have even told him?

“Pepper…” He muttered as tears ran down his cheeks. He broke into a sob as he held onto her. He cried words of apology and sadness, and repeated words of love. “I’ll always love you. I’m never leaving your side.” He sobbed and sobbed as her tears soaked her shirt.

They talked minutes later; it turns out she was scared to tell him. She was afraid of the worst possible outcome, and her fear drove her into sorrow and mild depression. She explained that she went to the doctor for a checkup and they saw something weird. The continuous tests and doctor visits were covered up because she didn’t want to worry him or stress him out.

It was ovarian cancer, and that’s when everything hit him. Their pillow talks about having children someday were suddenly crossed off. She continued to explain how she didn’t want him to be disappointed in her since children were now out of the question. She didn’t to see him unhappy.

She cried in his arms as they laid in bed together, and she continuously apologized.

“You don’t have to apologize for anything, Honey.” He muttered as more tears soaked the pillow beneath his head. “I love you.” The thought of losing her made the tears flow endlessly. “I’ll always love you.”

Pepper eventually fell asleep, but Tony was still awake at the time. He felt like he failed her, like he could’ve done something to prevent it—like he could’ve protected her.

_I’m Iron Man. I protect the world. I save people…_

His hold on her tightened as he pressed his forehead against her back, screwed his eyes shut, and choked back a sob.

_I’m sorry, Pepper. I couldn’t save you._


	3. Prompt 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drabble prompt: Something sweet.

It was a normal day at work for Pepper Potts. She had two meetings, before lunch and one after lunch, and paper work was dropped off at her office throughout the day. She headed home right after reading and signing a few documents in her office, and when she got home, it was quiet. It wasn’t the kind of quiet that made you worry, it was actually a familiar quietness that added a sense of serenity.

Her lips formed a small smile as she looked around the penthouse; nothing was broken, torn, or in shambles. Everything was in its place, clean, and shining; the sunlight was shining through the glass windows that stretched cleaning from the floor to the ceiling, making everything in the penthouse glow.

She hummed to herself as she walked through the penthouse in her bare feet, carrying her shoes, grey blazer, and purse with her. She dropped her things off in the master bedroom, and changed into a comfortable pair of shorts and a lavender colored t-shirt.

Her bare feet padded down to Tony’s workshop where she knew he’d be. If the house was spotless when she got home, then there was no doubt of her boyfriend’s whereabouts.

He was deep in thought, working on a secret project, when she entered the lab. Bruce was already gone for the day, so it was only him sitting in the middle of the room. In the back of his mind, he heard the sound of the suction releasing when someone entered the lab, but he paid no attention to it.

It was only when he felt a hand graze the small hairs on the back of his neck did he snap out of his deep thoughts. His back shot up and his head jerked, wondering who it was. He relaxed almost instantly when he realized it was her.

“Pepper,” He muttered. He glanced at the clock on the wall; it was a little over 6PM. “Oh, you’re already back from work?”

She smiled warmly as her head leaned to one side. “Yeah,” She noticed the circles under his eyes. “Were you down here all day?”

“Kind of.” He looked at the scattered pieces of metal scrap that were strewn throughout the lab.

“Want to take a break?”

He grinned to himself. His gaze turned to hers. “Depends.” He swiveled around in his chair to face her. She stepped forward and positioned herself between his legs. His hands started at her thighs and gently made their way up to her waist, holding her in place as he stared up at her as if she were the sunshine in his life. “What’d you have in mind?”

She chuckled and shook her head at him. “Definitely not what you’re thinking.”

His dirty thoughts disappeared as he frowned. “You’re no fun.”

“You seem to forget Bruce’s rule.”

“No sex—“

“—In the lab.” He finished her sentence and sighed to himself. “Yeah, yeah.” He waved it aside.

“I was thinking we could take a walk on the beach or in Central Park.” Her hands found the back of his neck again; her fingers were brushing against the small hairs and stopping every so often to play with it.

He was starting to relax against her hands; he loved the feeling of her hands playing with his hair. It was so comforting. He’s tried multiple times to fight the lingering feeling of falling asleep against her whenever she did that, but to his dismay, he hasn’t succeeded yet.

His voice was gentle and soothing, his eyes were soft and loving, and his lips were curved upwards into an adoring smile. “A walk on the beach sounds good.”

She took his hand and led him out of the lab.

“You’re wearing what you have on, right?” He asked as the elevator doors closed.

Tony changed into shorts and a t-shirt before they left. The sun was setting beautifully as they climbed out of the car. Happy, along with Tony and Pepper, gazed at the beautiful sight, admiring all of the colors that lit up the sky.

“Hey,” Tony tapped on the door. He made a circular motion with his index finger. “Want to drive around a bit and pick us up in thirty minutes?”

“I’m doing Pepper a favor. You’re no longer my boss, remember?” Happy retorted with a bit of sass.

“Okay.” Tony smirked. “Suit yourself. Remember the last time you drove Pepper and I to the beach, and refused to give us some privacy?” He raised his eyebrows at him.

Happy began to cringe. “Okay, okay. I’m going.”

Tony laughed as he watched Happy pull away.

The couple walked along the shore, letting the tide wash over their feet every now and then; they first walked in silence, up until the tide unexpectedly splashed up against leg, soaking the edge of his shorts. Pepper laughed as he yelped and tried to escape from it, but the damage was already done. It was a refreshing and calm time for them, which didn’t happen very often.

“So, how’s work?” She curiously asked as she threaded their fingers together.

“It’s… it’s getting there.”

“Working on anything special?”

“Kind of.”

Pepper got the hint pretty fast. “So special you don’t want to tell me?” She was only teasing him; she never expected him to tell her anything about his current work, or what he does in his lab all day. She figured he had Bruce for that, but she was always delighted when he did decide to talk to her about it.

“Super secret stuff, Honey.” He grinned. “Sorry.”

She nodded in response.

“How’s work for you?”

“It’s going great. A few big contracts, but you know, super secret stuff, Honey. Can’t tell you much.” She teased him with a smile.

He let out a small laugh and squeezed her hand. He loved how well she held her ground against him, teasing or not.

“Work is good. We’re finalizing a few things on the Stark Tower that’s going up in Washington, DC. But other than that, there’s not much else that’s going on.”

“That’s good to hear.” He turned his gaze to her and smiled lovingly. He noticed how her hair shined during the sunset, and then his thoughts drifted towards the distinct memories of her bright orange hair sprawled out along his bed and against his chest. He grinned instantly at the images.

“How about you? Other than your super secret projects, how are things in the lab?”

“They’re good. Bruce and I are getting along just fine. I believe it’s actually been a whole two days since the last accident occurred.”

Pepper laughed. “A whole two days. You two must be proud.”

“I’m more proud than he is.”

“Of course.” She held onto his arm right as he gave her hand an affectionate squeeze.

They walked along the shore a little bit longer and eventually turned around to meet Happy at the car. Along the way back, Tony tugged on Pepper’s arm.

“Wait a sec.”

“Huh?” Pepper turned to face him.

“Look.” His gaze was towards the horizon.

She looked in his direction and saw the beautiful sun setting along the horizon. It was a little more than half way there, but the colors that lit up the sky looked absolutely beautiful. The sky was lit up in orange, red, some purple, and some yellow. They stared in amazement as the world was, for the moment, as calm as it could ever be. There was no sudden alien invasion or known terrorist attack. It was a rare moment of peacefulness.

He wrapped his arms around her middle as he stood behind her, and felt her hands join his. Her fingers slipped through his and squeezed them as they rest on her stomach. As they soaked in the affectionate moment, he pressed lingering kisses along her neck and collarbone.

Before they left, they shared a long and soft kiss. Right when he was about to pull away, she leaned towards him to deepen the kiss; he laughed against her lips and hugged her tighter, never wanting to let her go, and never wanting the moment to end.


	4. Prompt 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A series of written pieces of Pepperony fanfiction based off of prompts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drabble Prompt by otpprompts.tumblr.com: Imagine Person B of your OTP is killed in an accident, and Person A brings their favorite lunch to their gravestone every week and eats next to their grave.
> 
> This one made me really sad...

Tony carried a large bag out of his Audi and set it on the hood of the car. He took out another bag and set it next to the other one. He closed the door and quietly made his way across the lawn with the bags in hand. He walked across the grass slowly, being very careful where he stepped; he was anxious to see her, but his speed spoke words that couldn’t be expressed. It had been two weeks since Pepper passed away from the fatal car crash. The man that caused it was drunk off his mind and survived the whole thing. Tony didn’t blame himself, he blamed the man that killed her, but the fact that she died from such a normal everyday occurrence hit him hard. He battled aliens and armies of robots, destroyed ungodly things, and yet Pepper…

His grip on the bags in his hands tightened as the thoughts ran across his mind, but his grip loosened when he approached her headstone. It was made of marble, and engraved in gold was her name, ‘Virgina Pepper Potts’.

He sat down in front of it and took out the bags’ contents.

“I know it’s too early for dinner, but I brought your favorite…” He opened a food box to reveal pasta and then opened another container that revealed a bunch of breadsticks. He smiled lightly, “It’s from that Italian restaurant down the street from your old apartment that you loved so much. Do you remember… when we went there on our first date? You didn’t want anything fancy or over the top. You just wanted a simple meal… even though this stuff tasted pretty cheap.” He put the containers down. “And the breadsticks you loved…” he began to laugh. “You always asked for extra to take home.”

A tear unexpectedly rolled down his cheek. His jaw clenched when he finally realized where he was and what he was doing. He thought he was done crying over her death, but he always found himself reminiscing about her; her orange fiery hair, her freckles, her thing smile whenever he leaned in for a kiss, her small hands that wrapped around his waist when he hugged her, and that little noise she made when she snuggled further into his arms in the middle of the night.

He sobbed uncontrollably as the memories continued. “Pepper…” he cried. “…Why… Why did you leave me?”

The food that sat next to him gathered all the cold air. It took all the courage he had to even walk into the restaurant and order the food knowing it would be without her by his side.

He covered his eyes with his hands and cried. “Why…” As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t stop crying. He felt empty inside without her; he woke up some mornings, expecting to hear her voice and feel her soft lips against his as she got ready for work, but every single time he opened his eyes, he’d see nothing. He’d turn his head to an empty spot on his bed where she’d lay, a clear reminder that she was indeed gone from his life, and every single time, it felt like his heart was being ripped out from his chest.

The refrigerator in the kitchen carried her last sticky note to him; it said ‘Be back soon. Remember to eat something! I love you – Pepper’, but every single time he’d see that note, he’d spiral into depression, knowing full well that she was never coming back no matter how much he wished she did. As much as he wanted to rip it off and chuck it into the trashcan, he couldn’t; he didn’t have the strength to.

He thought, if he got rid of her clothes, her possessions, and everything that reminded him of her, he’d hate himself, because then it meant she really was gone from his life.

It took a few minutes for the tears to stop, but when they did, Tony wiped them away with the sleeve of his jacket and continued to pull out the contents from the bags. He took out two forks, one for him and one for her. He set them in the pasta, and set the food between him and the headstone. He stared at it for the longest time before he picked the container up to take a bite.

A tear rolled down his cheek. “God, this stuff tastes so bad.” But he was smiling, because Pepper would just counter his words by saying how spoiled he was, and then she’d take his food and eat it.

He put the food down and took out a box of strawberries. “Remember when you first told me you were allergic to strawberries? I’ll never forget it.” He tried to smile. “But then again, I did forget that one time after I got drinks with Rhodey. We were ordering lots of drinks and I forgot I ordered a strawberry martini. I came home and kissed you, and you puffed up, almost instantly.” He began to chuckle. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my life. I thought I killed you.”

His smile slowly turned into a frown. “I tried to avoid strawberries ever since then.” He avoided them like the plague. The last thing he wanted to do was kill her… again.

“I miss you, Honey.” He mumbled sadly. He took out a sticky note, a pen, and wrote something down. He ripped it off and pressed it against her headstone. There were several more notes from him next to it, ranging from ‘I miss you’ to meeting reminders.

The fresh note read ‘I will always love you – Tony’.

He left the box of strawberries and packed up the rest of the food.

“I’ll be back next week, Pep.” He stared down at her headstone with teary eyes. “I promise.”


End file.
